Editor:

To the many volunteers who took the time to brave the cold and knock on doors, thank you for your efforts in gathering petition signatures for me to get on the ballot. That was a lot of precious time and energy.

I needed 500 signatures to earn my name on the ballot this November. Together we collected over 1,000! Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer their phones to talk with me about what issues matter to you. Thank you to those who believe in me and have, in some capacity, already contributed to my campaign.

For those of you who have doubts, I would like to share some information. The only qualifications to run for state assembly are being a US citizen, 18 years old, a resident of the state for 5 years, and a resident of the district for 12 months preceding election.

My qualifications: Born in USA, 43 years old, NY resident my entire life, district resident my entire life minus a few years in my 20s in neighboring counties. If they are willing to potentially let 18 years hold the same office, I think I am more than capable of learning the job.

From the start of my activism I have always been clear that I’m not hiding. There’s resources that tell people where I am and when I’ll be there. I encourage you to come talk to me in person. You might be surprised how much we have in common.

The very first article ever written about me was last year for the April 5th Hands off protest. In the article there was a picture of me holding a sign that said “hands off our bodies.” There were definitely hundreds of other topics I could have picked instead but it was no accident choosing this one.

I knew it would be controversial and get people talking. I was immediately met with an onslaught of nasty comments and character critics from total strangers. Still I persisted. I showed up on the day of the protest and made a point to talk to as many of the 300 participants that I could.

I went on to organize a handful more protests and every time I was met with the same response. Seeing other people trying to do something, anything, in a time that is discouraging and isolating gave them hope.

As I kept meeting more and more new people, something else became a common topic, that a majority of people feel misrepresented or underrepresented by their elected officials. When I would ask them who specifically I got the same response, all of them. From the community members on the town boards to the congressional representatives, and everyone in between. People are looking for change. Too many of our races for office are uncontested. Meaning candidates were/are running unopposed, which is an automatic win.

People should have a choice. Given the state of our country we are a heavily divided nation between two parties. If anyone had a chance at getting traction as an opponent I had to run as a democrat. I have always been a no party voter and even now with a D after my name on the ballot I still vote for the better candidate. I didn’t want to primary Mr. Hawley, I wanted to run against him. If I was going to win I wanted it to be earned not handed to me because I beat him in a primary. Political races should be contested. Every race, every seat, every time.

Running for office for me isn’t difficult. Burying your best friend you had had since kindergarten at age 33. That’s difficult. Knowing they died from a completely treatable condition, because they had no health insurance and were too proud to apply for Medicaid, even though they were the exact person that system was designed for. That’s difficult.

Navigating a cancer diagnosis alone, weeks after burying that friend. That’s difficult. Having cancer removal surgery a few months later and having to ask co-workers for a ride to and from the hospital, because your family couldn’t be bothered to return one day early from being snowbirds. That’s difficult. Having to support yourself, with no one else helping to pay the bills, no one to help with dishes, the laundry, the cooking. That’s difficult.

Navigating a broken healthcare system, with chronic undiagnosed medical issues and being told there’s nothing wrong with you, even though you’re living it so you know that’s not true. That’s difficult. Having to drop out of college, 12 credits from earning your bachelor’s degree, because you ran out of money and all the resources to keep going. Thus meaning having to pivot and figure something else out for your life, giving up on your hopes and dreams. That’s difficult.

Being told your whole life you aren’t good enough by the same people who are supposed to love you unconditionally. That’s difficult. Being a statistic of sexual assault by a family member and having no one believe you. That’s difficult.

So no, running for office, that’s not difficult. Dealing with internet trolls and hate speech from people who have never met me or don’t know my story. That’s not difficult. Other people’s opinions of me are none of my business.

All winter long I’ve been proving my point of not hiding by wearing my bright red coat. I’m sure you’ve seen me, I’m hard to miss, 6 feet tall bright red coat. I’m not hiding. Come talk to me. I’m sure you’ll find we have a lot more in common than you think. If I win this election I will be a representative of everyone. I want to hear from everyone, regardless of political affiliations. I want to be an advocate for the betterment of everyone. I don’t care if you have an R or D after your name. I don’t care if we don’t agree on every issue. We should work together to make a better place for everyone.

Why should people have to stay in their circumstances just because they were born into them? No one asks to be born, and no one really gets to decide where they are born. We all bleed red, we all have hearts, and lungs, and livers, and kidneys. We are all the same inside.

So why are we so divided by what’s on the outside? Hate is a learned behavior. Choose kindness, compassion and love. At the end of the day we all are going to die at some time. So why spend life making it harder for someone else? Choose kindness, compassion and love. I have worked a lot of jobs and have seen a lot of ugliness. Choose kindness, compassion and love.

I’m your Doordash driver. I know the struggles of living paycheck to paycheck, I live it every day. I also work a blue collar factory job. I  know what it means to get your hands dirty or work 60+ hour weeks to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. I’ve sat near you in local restaurants, movie theaters, and bars.

Running for office was never about me. It’s about advocating for my friends and neighbors at a table that has the potential to make a difference. I’m not afraid, I’m not hiding, so come find me. Let’s chat.

Sarah Wolcott

Batavia

Candidate for New York State Assembly District 139

Editor:

Every community has its rays of light – people and organizations that unselfishly serve its citizens for good.

The Care Net Pregnancy Center in Albion is one such group. It has been a stalwart fixture in Orleans County for thirty-five years, providing comfort and counseling to women and families through fertility care, pregnancy confirmation, testing for sexually transmitted infections, ultrasounds, parenting classes, and pregnancy education and support.

Its mission statement is clear: “The Gospel message is freely presented, human life valued, marriage and family celebrated, and every child, made in the image of God, welcomed with unconditional love.”

In our culture, life and death issues, from abortion to euthanasia, even definitions of family and gender, stir up strong feelings and societal division. Amidst these conflicting worldviews, Care Net, without hesitation, says all human life matters, from conception to death. No exceptions.

Gratefully, Care Net stands for something concrete and lasting: for ultimately our community’s well-being is not found in a politician or philanthropist or new idea, but in something perfect—God Himself. Only He can lead us to an enduring “culture of life” that values, protects, and serves us all.

With that, and our community, Care Net proudly stands.

Tim Archer

Albion

Editor:

Over the last few months, our community has united in shared opposition to the proposed STAMP data center complex from STREAM US Data Centers and Apollo Global Management.

At this point, the concerns of GLOW Region residents are well-known: air and water pollution, noise, harm to our wildlife and birds, increased electricity rates and decreased property values, a loss of the rural and peaceful way of life that we so value here, and the threat of bad corporate actors – deeply tied to the Epstein files – that do not care about us.

The propaganda and spin from STAMP developer GCEDC and STREAM are well-known too. They dismiss our fears and try to sweet talk us with promises of jobs and tax revenues. When we point out all the ways that this data center complex would clearly not be a good deal for Genesee County, they say we don’t understand what we’re talking about.

Now a third-party expert has weighed in, and what do they say? The Applied Economics Center, a non-profit consulting group that offers expert services in the areas of energy, environment, and consumer protection, reviewed the financial incentives applications from STREAM and produced a report that addresses the claimed costs and benefits for the local community. The data center would not be a good deal for Genesee County or the GLOW Region. Here are some of their key findings:

• STREAM does not provide any supporting materials for its cost-benefit analysis (CBA), which fails to meet standards expected in a public decision-making process and is insufficient to determine whether the proposed project would provide net benefits for the local community.

• STREAM failed to address potential costs associated with the project, including: effects on property values, effects on tourism and recreation, utility bill impacts, public health impacts, the cost of public infrastructure required for the project, or the local disturbances associated with project development such as placing cables and fiber optic lines.

• STREAM’s job creation estimates exceed values found in publicly available data and information, average publicly available estimates indicate that the proposed project would create about 4,100 fewer direct temporary jobs than the company claims, and 1,300 fewer indirect temporary jobs than the company claims.

• STREAM has requested a local sales tax abatement and mortgage recording tax abatement, which – taken together – are worth 25 times more than the benefits provided by the proposed PILOT/Host payments. In other words: STREAM has requested tax abatements worth 25 times more than the promised benefits.

• STREAM’s proposed data center may negatively impact local tourism and recreation, which are an integral part of the community and economy.

Mic drop. Thank you, AEC, for validating what we already knew.

Genesee County has said “No” and will continue to say “No” to this terrible deal. We’re still in a critical decision-making phase. Join me to voice your opinion: I’ll be at the Supplemental Public Hearing on April 16 at 4 p.m. and the Site Plan Hearing on April 20 at 6pm, both at the Alabama Fire Hall. (The April 20 hearing has been postponed.)

I’ve already submitted written comments to GCEDC and I will submit more before the April 17 midnight deadline. For more info, see STOP the STAMP Monster Data Center on Facebook and follow Allies of TSN on Facebook and Instagram.

Alyssa Beuler

Oakfield

Editor:

 Did you ever go to work and get harassed? Did you ever go to work  and get harassed even before you made it to the employee entrance, and right under a security camera.

Did you ever go to work and get harassed, right in front of management? Did you ever go to work and get harassed, by management right in front of a human resource representative? If you have had any of these experiences, did anything really become of it?

Perhaps you got over it and played the role of the bigger person. Maybe filed a complaint with management, HR, or the union? Documentation is important. Another possibility is that you just talked some about it to other like-minded team members?

 But, if sadly you have ever had any of this happen to you, let me ask you this: Was any of that, according to your boss, a valid excuse to get out of work, or even not report to work? My guess is probably not. And while many of us often have opinions about our bosses, maybe Mr. Hawley shouldn’t forget who his real boss is, and go to work.

James Pasnik

Medina

Editor:

What started as a vacation to Puerto Rico became something much more for Jennifer Stilwell of Albion, New York—it became her calling.

Walking the streets, she saw what many try not to see: dogs suffering, starving, and dying with no one to help them. For some, it’s a heartbreaking moment you carry home. For Jennifer, it was a moment that changed everything.

She couldn’t look away.

When she returned to New York, she didn’t just talk about making a difference—she built one. From the ground up, she created Make a Difference Rescue of WNY, earning her 501(c)(3) status and dedicating her life to saving dogs that would otherwise never get a second chance.

For the past 11 years, she has rescued, rehabilitated, and successfully adopted out over 2,300 dogs—a number that speaks not only to the need, but to her relentless commitment.

A few weeks ago, I visited her rescue on Ridge Road—and what I saw stays with you.

This isn’t just a shelter. It’s a place built on compassion, grit, and relentless heart.

Every dog that arrives has already been given a chance most never receive. In Puerto Rico, they are fully vetted, tested for disease, sterilized, and carefully quarantined before ever making the journey north. Jennifer works closely with a few trusted partners on the island who not only rescue these dogs but help socialize them and understand who they are—so they can truly thrive in a home.

But what stood out most wasn’t just the process—it was her.

You can see it in the way she moves through the rescue, in how she looks at each dog, in the quiet, constant effort it takes to do this work every single day. This is not occasional work—this is 365 days a year, unpaid, strictly volunteer. She cares deeply, and it shows.

Her love for these animals does not have borders.

And the dogs?

If you’ve ever met one of these rescues, you understand. There’s something different about them. A quiet gratitude. A connection. It’s as if they know they were given a chance—and they spend the rest of their lives giving that love back.

Make a Difference Rescue of WNY isn’t just saving dogs. It’s changing lives—both theirs and the people lucky enough to adopt them.

What Jennifer Stilwell saw on a distant island could have been just another sad memory.

Instead, she turned it into a mission.

And because of that, lives are being saved every single day.

If you are interested in adoption, you won’t be sorry. Reach out on Facebook, find them on Petfinder, and follow their journey online to see the lives being changed every day.

You can add that I was on vacation when I visited her rescue, and I am an Albion native .

Thank you

Melissa Tower

San Diego, Calif.

Editor:

There are many reasons for Genesee Countians to strongly oppose the monster data center – or any other development – at the STAMP speculative industrial mega-site in the Town of Alabama.

STAMP borders the Tonawanda Seneca Nation, which considers STAMP nothing less than an existential threat to its sovereignty, ecology, and ways of life; and would have huge impacts on the rural, agricultural economies, traditions, and character of the county.

The proposed data center would be the size of eleven Walmart Supercenters, and its developer is asking Genesee County for an absurd $1.44 billion in tax incentives.

It’s also important to know that STAMP violates all the principles and tenets of “smart growth” land use and development that professional planners practice today.

At its beginning, the STAMP badly failed a “smart growth test” required of state agencies by the State Public Infrastructure Policy Act1. This law ensures that state agencies do not fund development in locations and ways that spawn financial, environmental, and equity problems. In the case of STAMP, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) flunked this required “smart growth test.”  Yet, ESDC and Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) ignored the results.

A look at some of the flunked smart growth test criteria reveals how bad STAMP is from land use, development, and community planning perspectives:

Criteria:  Utilize existing infrastructure. STAMP will require extensive, expensive, complicated new water, wastewater, and energy infrastructure that will need maintenance forever.

Criteria:  Locate wholly or partially in an existing municipal center. STAMP is entirely on undeveloped, remote, rural land.

Criteria: Preserve and enhance the state’s agricultural land. STAMP would develop (devour!) hundreds of acres of prime agricultural land.

Criteria: Provide mobility through transportation choices, including improved public transportation and reduced automobile dependency. STAMP’s far-flung location would lock employees and all other users into ridiculously expensive, polluting, dangerous automobile dependency.

Criteria: Comply with local land use and building zones and codes. STAMP’s plans did not comply with the long-time rural/agricultural zoning for the site – so GCEDC got the zoning changed. This change does not suddenly make STAMP suitable: a recent study by SUNY College of Environmental Science determined the site is wholly unsuitable for industrial development.

Criteria: Locate in a developed area or one designated for development.  STAMP failed this criteria too, but the GCEDC convinced the County to add the entire STAMP site to the County’s Smart Growth Plan2 as a “Priority Development Area.” This Plan was passed in 2000 to protect rural, agricultural lands, economies, and character from incompatible development that could hook up to public water pipes coming in. In other words, STAMP is exactly what the Smart Growth Plan was legislated countywide to prevent.

Overall, STAMP is the “poster child” of all that smart growth isn’t. At every level of land use and development planning, STAMP is a deeply inappropriate and inefficient location and site for what is being proposed there.

To learn more about ways you can oppose these boondoggles and bad deals for our region, go to alliesoftsn.weebly.com.

Marcia Bohn

Batavia

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Next week, I and other Republicans around the nation will have the privilege of participating in a virtual lobby session with Republican members of Congress. I will be meeting with members representing western NY and other parts of NYS. We will be asking Congress to support initiatives to address climate change with common sense solutions such as permitting reform and a carbon based tariff.

I have been a Republican all my life and living in a rural farming community has taught me that we all must live with and depend on the natural environment. We all have to be good stewards. It is not for one side of the aisle, it is for all the people.

It pains me to see politicians, across the spectrum, portray climate change as a partisan issue. Scientific knowledge transcends politics. There isn’t separate science for each side of the aisle. Advancing scientific knowledge is crucial to improving the human condition.

I also believe that respect for the environment does not conflict with free market capitalism. Subsidizing polluting unsustainable industrial practices (contrary to what some would have you believe) is not consistent with capitalist or libertarian principles. Reforming the permitting process would expand the economy by building out the electric grid. A carbon-based tariff would level the playing field for American business and hold our dirty trading partners to account.

I hope that Congresswoman Claudia Tenney will follow in the footsteps of Republican environmental giants of the 20th century like Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon and support solutions that harness the forces of capitalism to address environmental problems. By expanding clean energy we can strengthen U.S. leadership and competitiveness.

We at Citizen’s Climate Lobby support real solutions that favor jobs, economic growth and enhance our global competitiveness.

As a lifelong Republican and a member of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, I know that Conservation is Conservative!

Robert Johnson

Medina

Editor:

On Thursday, March 19, the GCEDC held a public hearing on the request from STREAM US Data Centers and Apollo Global Management for $1.46 billion in taxpayer subsidies for their proposed 2.2 million square foot, 500 MW data center complex at STAMP. GCEDC would earn $146 million in fees from the deal.

The hearing started at 7 p.m. and lasted until 12:30 a.m. At least 300 people packed into the Town of Alabama Fire Hall. All but two speakers – both of whom work for organizations that stand to benefit financially from the deal – spoke in powerful opposition.

It’s clear: Genesee County, the GLOW Region, and WNY say “No” to the STAMP Monster Data Center. The hearing provided an opportunity for much-needed truth telling about the data center, GCEDC’s failures over the years. We built community and solidarity in that hearing.

But there were some issues:

• Not all members of the GCEDC Board of Directors, which will vote on the incentive package, seemed to be present for the entire hearing. This is unacceptable.
• Because the hearing did not begin until 7 p.m. on a work night/school night, many individuals left before they had a chance to comment. Additionally, that meant that those individuals did not hear their fellow community members who spoke after they left – and that most members of the media had left long before the end of the hearing.
• Neither STREAM nor GCEDC answered questions from the public.
• Commenters raised serious issues about gaps and inconsistencies of information in the materials shared publicly by STREAM, as well as about its financial backer, Apollo Global Management. Many of these gaps and inconsistencies have also been flagged by GCEDC’s own paid consultants.
• GCEDC uploaded a highly edited videorecording of the hearing that distorts critical aspects of the event and public response. If this video is supposed to serve as the public record of the proceedings, that is a big problem.

GCEDC does not plan to hold additional hearings, and set March 31 as the deadline for written comment on the data center proposal. This is unacceptable.

We demand:

• GCEDC must hold additional public hearings, at a range of times that accommodate people with varying schedules;
• The Board of Directors must be present at these hearings;
• GCEDC and STREAM must publicly answer questions from the public about the data center proposal;
• GCEDC must upload the full, unedited videorecording of the March 19 public hearing asap;
• Given that GCEDC’s own staff and consultants have flagged numerous inconsistencies and gaps in STREAM’s application materials, GCEDC must ensure both that final application documents, once submitted by STREAM, are provided to the public, and that the public then has the opportunity to comment, before the Board makes any decision on this application, financial, environmental, or otherwise;
• Thus, GCEDC must extend the deadline for comments on the data center proposal until the above demands have been met.

The stakes for our community are too high. The people of Genesee County and the GLOW Region deserve a robust, meaningful, transparent public process for decision-making on the data center plan.

Sincerely,

Gina Schelemanow, Batavia

Alyssa Beuler, Oakfield

Adrienne Yocina, Pembroke

on behalf of Allies of Tonawanda Seneca Nation

Editor:

My name is Mary Lou Tuohey, and I am a parent of a child with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). My daughter Nicole, has been receiving services from Arc GLOW for over 35 years.

Nicole was born with Triple X Syndrome and the doctors told us at her three-week checkup that she may never walk, talk, read, write, do math or ride a bike. At 3 months of age, we enrolled her in the Arc’s Rainbow Preschool, which was her stepping stone to a full life.

Nicole is 35 years old now, and attends the day habilitation program through Arc GLOW. She does everything the doctors said she wouldn’t do, plus more. The early intervention and her current involvement with Arc GLOW has helped make her the woman she is today!

Every March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which raises awareness about the inclusion of people with IDD in all facets of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

If you want to help advocate for people with IDD, the best way to do so is join Arc GLOW’s membership drive. Doing so says you are an advocate for people with IDD, want positive changes in our society for people with IDD, and want Arc GLOW to continue providing high quality supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in our community.

Taking a stand only costs $1, and the money stays right in the GLOW region supporting Arc GLOW’s many programs. Additionally, your membership is an incredibly important step toward society-wide acceptance of children and adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

Remember, until you have walked in the shoes of those with a disability, don’t judge them by the way they look, the way they do something or the way they might communicate their needs. They are a person, just like you. They have feelings, they deserve respect and deserve to be included.

Sincerely,

Mary Lou Tuohey

Medina

Editor:

President Trump started a war with Iran without consulting our allies or members of Congress. Oil prices shot up to over $100 per barrel, and the economy, which was already slowing down, started to tailspin out of control.

In an attempt to slow rising oil prices, Mr. Trump allowed Iran to bring about 140 million barrels of oil to the global market. What that means is that the President gave Iran about $14 billion to our enemy to kill U.S. service members; $14 billion in aid and comfort.

Furthermore, the President is easing sanctions against Russia. It is well known that Russia is assisting Iran by providing satellite targeting and drone technology to kill Americans in a war the President started.  Again, aid and comfort to the enemy.

When Mr. Trump left office in 2021, he took with him classified documents and refused to turn them over, even after he was subpoenaed. Some of these documents were so sensitive that only six people in the entire U.S. government had access to them. It never made any sense to me why Mr. Trump would blatantly break the law and risk jail time. Now, newly released documents reveal a motive for Mr. Trump’s actions. The documents strongly suggest that Mr. Trump was selling out our national security to enrich himself.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22^nd, Mr. Trump threatened Iran with dire consequences if they did not open the Strait of Hormuz. Suddenly, on Monday, March 23rd, Mr. Trump announced, at 7:05 a.m., that he was delaying his threatened action for five days, claiming that they were in productive negotiations with Iran.

But 15 minutes before Mr. Trump’s announcement, at 6:50 a.m., someone or several people bought a large amount of stock market futures and sold large quantities of oil futures, making about $580 million, according to the Financial Times. This was such a sudden and isolated jump in volume that the evidence suggests that those close to Mr. Trump are trading based on our national secrets. The word for this is traitor.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

First of all, I’d like to thank a recent letter writer, for his many years of service in criminal justice.

Hey Bob, where did you find a recent episode of Gunsmoke. I’m not a big fan of old westerns, but I believe some of the cast, have moved on to that cattle ranch in the sky.

I’m an older guy, too. I remember the St. George Floyd riots. How many of those protesters were thrown in solitary? How about the BLM riots, many of their leaders got rich, not jail time? I could name many more, like Antifa who get paid to riot..

We have a constitutional right to protest. That does not mean burning down buildings, throwing rocks or frozen water bottles at police. I can remember a reporter, standing in front of burning building, saying it was mostly peaceful.

Rioting is wrong no matter who does it. Democrats only remember the one time people on the right did it.

I read you folks are planning a No Kings protest. Please don’t destroy police cars, or block traffic. You cost taxpayers a lot of money.

Rich Zielinski

Buffalo

Editor:

To the residents of the Village of Albion, I would like to sincerely thank the people of our village for your votes, your confidence, and the opportunity to serve you as Village Trustee.

I do not take this responsibility lightly, and I am truly grateful for the trust you have placed in me. I am committed to serving our community with honesty, respect, and a genuine desire to do what is best for all residents.

I would also like to congratulate Tim McMurray on his election as Mayor and Kevin Sheehan on his election as Village Trustee. I look forward to working together in service to our village.

In addition, I am excited for the opportunity to work alongside William Gabalski, Greg Bennett, our village employees, and the residents of Albion as we move forward together. I believe that meaningful progress happens when people are willing to listen, collaborate, and work toward the common good of the community.

I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Joyce Riley and Angel Javier Jr. for their time and service on the board. Public service is not always easy, and I appreciate the time and effort they have dedicated to our village. I wish them both continued success in whatever comes next.

As we begin this next chapter, I encourage any and all residents to attend the next Village Board meeting on Monday, April 6, at 6 p.m. when the newly elected officials will be sworn in at Village Hall with the regular board meeting taking place right after. Community involvement matters, and I would love to see residents there as we continue working toward a stronger future for Albion together.

Thank you again for this opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Jami Allport

Village of Albion Trustee-Elect

Editor:

In a recent Gunsmoke episode, a powerful cattleman attempts to take control of a water supply for a town of about 1,000 people. The Town Board passed regulations preventing this.

The cattleman threatens to overrun the village with thousands of cattle and his 30 cowboys. The village leaders call on their sheriff and their deputy to prevent this. “This is what we pay you for.”

US Marshall Matt Dillon points out to the village leaders that that’s impossible.

“They will need your backup.” Dillon helped them set up an ambush with many of the village men and some women, all with guns, helping the Sheriff, Deputy and Dillon.

The cattleman sent a thousand rampaging cattle through town to soften them up. He and his 30 cowboys followed, guns blazing. They we met by many villagers, armed and firing at them from behind barriers. They realized they were defeated and retreated.

* * * * * * * *

January 6, 2021: 185 US Capitol policemen were charged by approximately 1,500 rioters or more, some armed. They were urged on by the defeated, but then sitting President of the United States.

At least 140 policeman were injured. They tried to control things without using their weapons. One person, who’d broken through a door window and was starting to crawl through, was shot and killed.

About 15 policeman were hospitalized. Two died by suicide within 2 weeks; 2 more within 6 months. How were they to respond to violently protesting, but rioting American citizens? Urged on by the President? At least one of the rioters was so enraged they defecated on a Senator’s desk.

Over 1,300 of the rioters were convicted. So many hours were devoted to reviewing tapes, identifying perpetrators, assembling evidence, presenting it to the courts and sentencing in over 1,300 cases. Most of this work was wiped out by Trump pardons. The police, prosecutors and courts and all that work was disrespected and wiped out.

Trump gave $5 million to the family of the defendant that actually broke through a door window and was entering Congress chamber. But Trump awarded nothing to the injured police and their families.

He praised the rioters, but no mention of the police.

Assaulting policemen is OK, he seems to think.

I saw Trump recently complaining about making problems in the home “criminal matters.” To the contrary, domestic violence calls are among the most dangerous to police. Further, the NYS Legislature Republicans found that domestic violence is at the base of 50%+ of mass murders in our country. Many include police injuries and deaths. Again, Trump shows a disrespect for the police and women, the frequent victims.

We disrespect police when we expect them to enforce the law against the poor and minorities and women, but not against middle and upper class men. We unfairly expect police to show understanding and mercy toward them (not giving them a criminal record), but not so toward poor and minorities.

We show disrespect to the police, when we enjoy TV programs that present them as corrupt, rigid, buffoons or cruel. (Police are human and have the same problems that clergy, teachers, boy scout leaders, bank executives and employees have, about the same percentage as the average population, but most police are sincere and helpful and concerned about controlling crime, particularly violent crime. They need our respect and support.) I recommend Law & Order as a television show that represents police realistically and fairly.

Let’s be realistic and honest about what we want the police to do and support them.

Bob Golden

Waterport

Bob Golden worked 43 years in criminal justice, locally, state and private mental health, including 24 years as the Orleans County Probation director. His father was a police chief who was named the top chief in New York State in 1962.